


There Remains Countless Reasons

by stickynoct



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poor Prompto, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-01-31 09:25:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18588391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stickynoct/pseuds/stickynoct
Summary: Time is an odd concept for a person like Prompto. It just stops then rewinds. While he's stuck in time, Noctis tries to pull him out in hopes of making his own stop.Prompto has anterograde amnesia and Noctis is there to help him out.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I'm trying this concept after reading about this type of amnesia called anterograde amnesia where the person cant remember the things they did the day before and they only usually remember what happened before they had amnesia which was interesting to me so I thought what if Prompto had it and then after watching 50 First Dates it made me want to write this even more.
> 
> I'm more of a reader than a writer so I apologize for the typos I wasn't able to see. Also M for eventual smut.

Prompto can hear water, something cool and smooth rushes over his feet. The surface he's on feels slippery but it's not that bad. He's on a rock, listening to the calm symphony the water creates.

When he moves the calming feeling instantly fades. When he opens his eyes the flora and fauna of the forest was replaced by a gray ceiling, a window on the side of his bed. It's his room. He sits up from his bed slowly with his feet touching the floor. His backside aches and he's naked except for a pair of boxers. Prompto looks down when he feels something soft touch his foot. It's his bedroom slippers resting on top of the wooden floorboards. 

He notices a blue sticky on the small table beside his bed. Prompto picks it up but it's not his hand writing. He reads it, _"Your name is Prompto Argentum. You have short-term memory loss, anterograde amnesia, they call it. You won't remember what happened last night but let me help you recall."_.

He scratches his head and looks to the side. There's another one on his pillow, slightly crumpled but he still picks it up, _"I slept with you last night. I wrapped my arms around your waist as you slept. My name is Noctis Lucis Caelum. You call me Noct. Yesterday you love me and today you'll love me again."_

He frowns a little. Who is Noctis? Or Noct. Another sticky is placed on his work table. It's colored pink this time, _"I set you on top of here and kissed you. When we pulled away you smiled at me and said you love me."_.

Above the table were other sticky notes pressed on the wall. They come in blue but some are pink. He wonders if the colors meant anything. Prompto reads the stickys to find an answer and one does the trick, _"The colors mean nothing it's just that it looks like water and I thought it would look nice with some cherry blossoms on it."_. It's placed on top of another one that reads, _"Cor hates it when you ride bicycles."_.

On top of the box of comicbooks to the left of his work table was another blue sticky note, _"We talked about the photos you took. They never cease to amaze me. You told me that for a person like you, time doesn't go on. It stops then repeats itself again and sometimes you wished you weren't like this."_.

On the right of the table is a shelf that's slightly higher than the table. Layers of thick scrapbooks are stacked on top of it, all with different labels on the front and the spine. Prompto finds another sticky note on the shelf, _"You leaned against this shelf and we started to undress each other. You placed a hand on my cheek and kissed me for the first time last night."_.

The wind blows a soft breeze in his room. The curtains danced and the sticky notes created a quiet drizzling melody. Prompto thinks it's nice. Beside the scrapbooks was a camera. It has another pink sticky on the screen, _"This is your camera. You love taking photos. The scrapbooks contain the photos you took."_.

He knows that. But all he wants to know is who's hand writing was that. Prompto turns and almost trips on the bunched up clothes on his floor. He picks it up and examines it. He knows the black shirt isn't his because it's a bit too big. Still, he tosses it in the laundry bin then picks some comfortable clothes to wear in his closet.

His gaze flickers to the front when he notices yet again another pink sticky note with a stranger's hand writing, _"Heya, Prompto, say hi to Noct?"_

As he opens the door another man smiles warmly at him. He doesn't know if he should call the police because there was a stranger in his home. Prompto looked at him from head to toe. He was wearing his shorts but wasn't wearing a shirt. He can't feel his fingers for a moment and he feels kinda dizzy but the feeling fades away slowly. The smile slightly disappears from the stranger's face.

"Aren't you supposed to greet me?" Noctis says, gentle eyes darting around Prompto's face, eagerly waiting for a reaction. His voice is new but he can't seem to recall where he heard it—if he's heard it.

Still, he greets him back with a soft "Hello, Noct." and for some reason the syllables of Noct's name felt natural on his tongue. Maybe he's said it more than once.

Or maybe because they're meant to be.


	2. One Step Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto moves in to his new apartment and gets hired to be a photographer at a royal ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while but here's chapter 1! This isn't meant to be a long fanfic but I might add some chapters if I have to also I forgot to mention the road trip never happens in this story and no one dies. Enjoy!

It takes a while for him to get used to the room. It wasn't much but for someone like him it's enough. Prompto comfortably sits on his bed. Swinging his feet as he looked around the gray walls of his room. It was still quite empty but he doesnt know why. He's been living there for as long as he can remember but the room is still empty except for his bed and a small table. A knock on his door makes him snap out of his thoughts. The door opens and Prompto immediately turns to the door to see who it was.

"Hey kid, you doing okay?" Cor asks him, barely stepping inside the room.

Prompto nods, pressing his lips in a thin line before replying. "Yeah. I'm okay. I just thought my room would have more stuff.".

"Well, you just moved here yesterday. I forgot to tell you that, it's my fault." Cor sighs.

After Cor tells him that he immediately grabs a blue sticky note and a ballpen to take note of what he said. He wrote the date and the words 'moved in to my new apartment' on the piece of paper and stuck it on his empty wall. Prompto took a step back and smiled to himself.

"It's okay. I wrote it down so I'll remember it. Do you mind if I take a picture of us?" He reaches for his polaroid camera, opening it before Cor could answer but he nods and waits for him outside.

Prompto looks for a spot in the empty living room which could show he just moved in. He drags Cor near a bunch of boxes and poses for the selfie. Surprisingly, Cor is smiling a bit. Prompto knows Cor doesn't smile that much and he's glad he remembers that. After snapping a photo Cor asks him if he'll be fine before excusing himself. He doesn't bother to look at the photo. Prompto shakes it to make the colors appear. He jogs back to his room to tape it beside the sticky note.

Returning to the living room, he unpacks some boxes and tries to remember which went where in his old home. He knows where things go but on some days he gets it mixed up. The new square pillows go on the couch and the rectangular ones go on the bed. He knows the plushies go on his bed. Prompto scratches his head. The soap looks the same too but Cor told him that if he's confused it's usually written on the container and Cor is right. He feels relieved that some of the items have labels. 

Prompto remembers the small things but sometimes he forgets them and it gets him frustrated. He does remember people really well because he takes pictures of them and writes their name down on the bottom of the picture then sticks it in a scrapbook. But he knows Cor for a very long time so he doesn't know if that's true for everyone he meets.

When night begins to fall, he starts to feel his hunger slowly settling in. He doesn't remember how he's going to get food because Cor isn't here so he continues to set up until 7 because that's when he usually eats. But when he checks the clock again it's already 7 and still no food. Prompto reaches for the phone when someone rings the doorbell. He kind of jogs to the door and he opens it with a small smile on his face. But it's not Cor, his smile slightly disappears.

A delivery boy stood in front of his doorstep. He holds a box of chicken wings and a cup of what seems to be soda, "delivery for Mr. Prompto Argentum?".

The boy reads it off a small piece of paper. Prompto nods and asks, "Who is it from?".

The boy shrugs. He tells him he doesn't really know. Prompto still accepts the food and the boy leaves. He hasn't set up the table yet so he sits in the middle of the living room where a rug was placed. When he opens the box he sees a blue sticky note on it but it's not his hand writing, _"I forgot to get you food so here. Im sorry about that. - Cor"_.

He smiles because Cor didn't forget to bring him his food. Prompto takes a piece and brings it up to his mouth. It smells amazing. The sweet and spicy flavors mixed to create a perfect tasteful aroma. He thinks this feels cozy, it feels like home. Only one thing is missing though.

Someone to share the food with.

\---

A bunch of blue sticky notes hang on his wall, all with his hand writing. Different dates, different information. One sticky was placed away from the others, _"you moved in here on April 27th M.E. 732."_.

Today is September 4th. It's been almost 6 months since he moved in. He sighs, pushing his glasses up his nose then grabs his favorite coat in his closet. There's old receipts in the pockets and some crumpled sticky notes he never bothered to discard. He takes his camera with him and heads out, throwing his backpack over his shoulder on the way to the door of his apartment.

It's quite cold outside since autumn just started. Prompto thought the warm-colored leaves would look beautiful at this time of the year so he decided to go for a walk while he looks for something to take a picture of.

His camera is old and has some scratches on them but it hasn't lost it's value. Cor insisted on getting him a new one but he always refuses. Prompto can't quite remember who he got his camera from but he feels an attachment to it, it's like he can't just replace it in a blink of an eye.

The park was beautiful and the soft autumn breeze felt nice on his face. It carried the sweet scent of coffee from near by cafes. It was refreshing. A lot of people were scattered around the park, most sat on picnic mats but the others were busy moving about as they played with their friends. Prompto took a spot by a tree. He positioned the camera so that the branches of the tree would appear on top the frame, keeping the green grass of the park in the center of the frame. _Snap_. Prompto takes a look at the photo and he smiles a little. He takes a few more shots before he calls it a day.

His favorite coffee shop is just around the corner. But he doesn't drink coffee, instead he gets himself a vanilla smoothie. He absolutely loves how they make them. Bits of cake dough mixed with vanilla ice cream then topped with some sweet whipped cream, it's the perfect combition that makes his tastebuds dance.

When he reaches his apartment his drink is half empty. On the elevator, another person joins him. It's the first time he's seen him and there's an awkward feeling building up in the pit of Prompto's stomach. He can tell the persontrying to steal glances. The guy takes out his phone, typing away without even looking up to press the button when the elevator closes.

"Kinda cold today." The guy suddenly says. It kind of startles Prompto. He looks at him from head to toe. He's wearing a thick black jacket and jeans, looking like he didnt bother to fix his hair that much. 

"Yeah. It's kinda cold." He answers with a soft voice. The elevator dings, signaling it's arrival on the chosen floor. Prompto hops off and so does the guy in the elevator. He's starting to think he's being followed so he turns around, halfway near his apartment and says, "Do I know you?".

The guy seems like he never ripped his eyes off his phone since they stepped foot off the elevator. So he keeps his phone in his pocket before speaking, "Your amnesia thing is really real, huh?".

"Of course it's real, so what's the big deal with following me around?" Prompto frowns a little. 

"Wow. Dude, I'm seriously hurt." The guy walks past him and stops by the door of the apartment beside Prompto's, "I'm your best friend. Noctis Lucis Caelum, ring any bells?". With that he unlocks the door, the hallway making the keys sound ridiculously annoying.

He's confused for sure. He doesn't know what the guy was talking about. As soon as je was inside he placed his drink in the refrigerator, dropping his bag on the couch before heading to his room to browse the scrapbook, in search of that guy. He finds him on one of the pages and there's a whole two pages just for him, _"Noctis Lucis Caelum is the crown prince of Lucis and your best friend."_ the word read. They're in big bold letters so it was easy to spot.

Prompto knows he has to apologize. He probably hurt his feelings and he doesn't want the prince to behead him, if that's possible. So he goes out and rings the door. No one answers so he ring it again. But by that time Noctis is already outside, fulfilling his princely duties.

\---

The next time they meet is at a ball. Prompto was assigned as the photographer for the evening and the only photographer for that event. They reviewed his portfolio carefully, describing it as exquisite, only capturing the most beautiful sceneries, bringing the best out of the people he took pictures of. He was delighted to hear that it motivated him to do well and actually buy a proper suit this time.

Prompto hurried to the citadel on his bicycle, a backpack on his back where he kept his equipment and a change of clothes if ever he needed one. He parked his bike just outside the huge gates, making sure it's secure before entering. It's quite a walk coming from the gates to the stairs but he's used to it. Cor used to bring him here when there was no one who could take care of him while he was at work. Sometimes he thinks he could call the citadel his home too but he can't do that because it's the royal family's home, he feels like he doesn't have the right to call it like that.

A few expensive looking cars pass him as he was walking towards the stairs of the citadel. The people that exited the cars looked fancy. Prompto wanted to start taking photos right there and then but he had to put his bag down first and have someone check his attendance. He opted to walk at the side of the stairs, avoiding the limelight. He makes his way to Ignis' office where he said he'd be waiting for him.

Using the back of his hand, he knocks twice before entering. He peeks his head in to see if anyone was inside. Ignis sat in front his desk, quietly reading a document. He greets him and asks him to sit for a while.

"If I may ask, how did you arrive here?" He pushes his glasses up his nose. Putting the document down on the table along with a ballpen on top of it.

"I took my bike. Parked it outside the gates." Prompto replies.

"As per the contract, you must leave your ID with me then you can claim it in exchange for the memory card when the event is over. Failure to do this is considered as a crime. Do you understand?" Prompto nods and Ignis pushes the document towards him, "I need you to sign this and then you're free to head to the ballroom.".

The way to the ballroom was quite dim, only lit by a few lights on the walls. There were always glaives stationed by the end of the hallways and Prompto greeted them. Some greeted back but most of them kept a straight face as if he weren't there.

Prompto could hear the elegant music the pianist played. There was a grand piano at the corner of the room, opposite it was a buffet table but Prompto didn't bother to look at that first. He switched his camera on and began snapping some photos, visiting each large group for a photo. Some guests would pose but some prefered to have their candid shots taken.

He pauses once in a while to check the photos, deleting those that usually had the guests eyes closed or mouth open mid conversation. He didn't want Ignis to see those as he was only supposed to capture flattering shots. While he tucked himself away at a corner he heard footsteps approaching him. The sound of the expensive shoes' heels clacked loudly against the marble floor.

"Prompto." The voice calls out. He immediately looks up to see who it was and he recognizes this person, "I know you probably-".

"I remember you, Noct." Prompto produces a small smile, "I read my notes.".

"Oh." Noctis looked surprised and it made him giggle.

"I'm sorry about last week. You know me, I forget things easily." He shrugs, leaning against a pillar.

He just smiles, Prompto could see a hint of sadness in his smile and he's not sure why, "It's alright. I understand.".

Before he could reply to him Ignis comes and tells Noctis to leave him be so he could do his work. He leaves with a heavy sigh, walking away to talk to a group of girls who called him over.

"Please take lots of pictures of him. I'm sure his highness would appreciate that." Ignis tells him before smoothly merging in with one of the groups.

His eyes look around the ballroom, searching for that familiar face of the prince. When he does find him he raises the camera up to his face, looking through the view finder. He's able to see his face better because of the lights focus in the middle of the ballroom. Prompto thinks it's a handsome face. He takes a of couple shots then reviews them right after. All of the pictures he took were worth keeping, not one made Noctis look bad. He was photogenic and one of the shots caught him looking into the camera, it made his heart beat faster. It was a strange feeling but it felt good.

As the night was coming to a close he felt his stomach growling, begging for food. After busying himself with taking only pictures of the crown prince he forgot he needed to eat as well. The event didn't serve a full meal but food enough to keep the guests from starving. Prompto made his way to the buffet table, scanning the food for which ones he'd like to taste. There were grapes and expensive cheese. He heard those tasted well together so he looked around first before he turns his camera off and grabs a plate.

"You don't have to worry. I'm pretty sure you have enough pictures to impress Iggy." He turns to the voice and meets Noctis' blue eyes. They're really pretty even if they looked darker because of the lighting.

Prompto immediately turns back to the table and continues to grab some food, "I'm just scared someone might call me out.".

"You don't have to worry about that, I'll eat with you if it's fine with you." Noctis smiles a little, trying to confort his best friend.

He nods a little while biting his bottom lip, "I guess I'm okay with that. We're best friends after all, we're supposed to eat together.".

"Yeah... totally. Hey, I heard those crackers go well with this cheese." There's a hint of sadness in his voice and once again Prompto doesn't know why. Maybe it's because he forgot about him, he's not so sure.

He grabs the food Noctis pointed at, his plate already half full. There were some desserts at the side and he opted to get some of the small slices of cake, he hoped they didn't taste bland. After that he grabbed a glass of water then signaled Noctis he was done getting some food.

"Let me hold that for you." Noctis takes the glass from his hand and leads him else where.

He takes him to the balconies where there were lesser people. The area over looked the whole of the ballroom, making it a good spot to keep watch on the guests. Besides some other guests who wanted some alone time there were glaives on every corner to see to it that everyone is safe.

Noctis finds a good spot tucked away from the crowds. There are red curtains hanging from the pillars and a cocktail table placed in the center of the balcony. He pulls on the curtain and they fall smoothly in place. Prompto places the plate on the table. He's unsure why it was necessary to close the curtains but he didn't ask. Prompto thinks it was kind of useless too since the people below could see them but Noctis said they wouldn't care. 

So he begins to eat. Tasting the variety of expensive cheese and crackers first before he eats his fruits. The cheese tasted good, it was pretty exotic to his tongue since good cheese was too much for his budget. It takes a while to notice Noctis staring at him. He hasn't spoken since they arrived there so he stops eating for a while to entertain him.

"Is something wrong?" He asks, habitually wiping his fingers on his pants.

Noctis shakes his head, smiling, "No. It's just that you looked like you were having a good time.".

"Well, it's not everyday I get to eat cheese like these." He shrugs.

He notices him taking a few steps closer to the table from the railing, "Try this cheese with the grapes. They taste delicious.".

Prompto pops a grape into his mouth and the said cheese. It tasted delicious. He eats more of that until his plate is half empty and Noctis chuckles, "See~ it's good. I'm not a fan of fancy food like that but grapes and cheese really go well together.".

"Yeah. I like it." Prompto smiles. After that he eats his dessert. Humming at the cakes even if they weren't much.

He notices Noctis staring at them so he offers him one but he refuses and says, "Iggy doesn't like it when I hide myself from the crowd and eat.".

Prompto doesn't say anything after that. He just continues to eat and leaves a piece even if Noct said he didn't want some, "Ignis isn't around. He won't see if you take a bite.".

That makes the other boy smile. He shoves the whole thing in his mouth, looking as if he's examining the taste. Noctis makes a weird face right after that, "I told Iggy to go find a better chef cuz these cakes taste so bland that the cakes sold in groceries taste better.".

He chuckles at his comment, "I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that.".

After that comes silence again. Prompto drinks from the glass of water Noctis carried for him, setting it down on the table. Noctis doesn't face towards the table this time instead he's leaning on the railing of the balcony, observing the crowd. He has his back against the railing, reviewing the photos he took.

"I hate going to parties like these." Noctis mutters without taking his eyes off the crowd. "They bore me and all they do is talk about themselves and their achievements. It's disgusting.".

"Is that why you hide from crowds?" Prompto replies. The prince shifts so he could look at him.

"That and cuz I want to hang out with you." He eyes him up and down, smiling a little. "You know, you look good in a suit. Never thought I'd see you wearing one again.".

That makes Prompto feel heat rush to his cheeks. He feels butterflies in his stomach amd his heart is suddenly so loud. "What do you mean by that?".

"Nothing. Just wanted to compliment you." He chuckles.

They talk more for the rest of the evening and the butterflies never seemed to go away but his heart did calm down a little. It's fun to talk to Noctis. He talk about video games then he complained about Ignis and Gladio then back to video games. Everything seems so perfect for Prompto that he didn't want the night to end. Before he could tell Noct how he was able to beat the boss in Kings Knight someone interrups them. There's a bigger man standing by the curtains. Prompto knows him, he's Gladio.

"His majesty is looking for you. He wants you to meet someone." And with that he leaves.

Noctis sighs, scratching his nape. "I gotta go. He'll be waiting."

Before he could open the curtains, Prompto says, "Hey, Noct." He's looking down at his shoes but when he meets Noctis' blue eyes again, suddenly he's not afraid to speak. "How come I forgot about you when I remember Iggy and Gladio really well. We're not even close.".

Noctis freezes in his tracks, turning back to him with yet again another sad smile. "Maybe it's so that we can start over.".

"Oh." He mutters, looking down in thought. Before he could say something else Noctis is gone. He's alone again and he thinks it's for the best because there's a weird feeling in his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comment? I'd love to hear your thoughts ^^


End file.
